I would love a look at our history that is written like this and the follow-up to how to present their church’s history here. However, I do not believe that we can make similar claims. The primary reason is probably due to the fact that we haven’t taken ten years to go through ‘changes’. In many places two years is seen as too long, so the rhetoric is akin to “Okay, we wrestled for two years: now that it is finished, let’s get back to evanglizing.”
In any case, I present it as a means to present bad news, be honest about doctrinal errors and look to God for the future.
Read the question about “Why don’t you stress the positive elements of Dr. Armstrong’s work?” I believe it is a fair and honest response to the dynamic that is really going on. I believe the following quote will one day describe our current struggle to understand our history:
In our recent history, we have both good things and bad things, and we have found it difficult to deal with this mixture. When we mention the good, some members get angry. When we mention the bad, others get angry. It seems that these events are so recent that the emotional level is very high.
Some members suffered because of the church’s doctrinal errors. These people often have an emotional desire to emphasize the bad so that it not be done again. Other members found the church to be a spiritually energizing fellowship despite our doctrinal errors. These people often do not like it when the problems are mentioned. We receive letters from both kinds of people regularly. It is helpful for each group to know that the other exists: not everyone had the same kind of experiences in the same church, even in the same congregation.
I have to admit that I have trouble dealing with friends that keep trying to stress the positive and ‘move on’. I have always bristled at the mention of positive thinking and roundly denounced how American businesses and churches defined it. I’m biased. I want to acknowledge that there are people, different from me, that have had largely positive experiences in the ICC and strive to hold on to that good. I really want to see how that is NOT avoided the issues. I also do not want to force others to be like me in this way.
However, I don’t think it is unfair to ask for the same consideration. The fact that I would like our troublesome past to be more public is because I do not want our past to come back. I am not crying out for help. I am not licking my wounds. I am following my conscience. I do not want to be made to be conformed to always looking to the positive. I fear that people like me are marginalized as bitter complainers, when we are desperately trying to be Christians.
I confess, I truly do not understand the need to stress the positive. I perceive it as phony and unreal. However, I know that others do not understand me. I can be perceived as bitter and unable to enjoy life.
In short, it seems that a lack of value judgement is needed on this issue. More understanding needs to be experienced. People like me don’t want to see the past repeated. People not like me want others to experience the good in Christianity. Both of us are needed.
Comments
2 Responses to “History of the ICoC Template?”
Recent Comments
- pinakidion: what rock said
- Rock: “Is Pinakidion ever going to post again?”
- salguod: Is that an answer to a question that I missed?
- xray342: How’s this for cryptic? $ echo ‘pinakidion’ | md5 16da6556b9ba8a411a6f4251591eae2b
- Velocio: “Despite my best efforts, you have learned about evil from me, in part, because you have seen it in me.” Wow, tears....
Boy am I am with you on this. I sometimes wonder if I’m seen as the nay-sayer, the complainer, the guy who’s always throwing out reasons why somethings won’t work or is a bad idea or practice. Then I wonder if that’s how the really see me or if it’s just my paranoia. I have to remind myself that they are not against me or God, they just have a different perspective.
I want to have hope, but sometimes it seems that I’m better at seeing doom.
“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked our for us. Let us fix our eyes of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
-Hebrews 12:1-3
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”
-
-Hebrews 12:7-8
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
-
-Galatians 5:1
After fourteen years of being obedient to the understanding equated with the McKean doctrines, I realized that there had to be fundamental errors within the system. Then the Henry letter came out. It was eye opening to say the least. All at once, the truth that was stated in that letter had completely set me free. I did not one bit waver in my desire to please God, and obey the scriptures, but I started to see exactly how misinterpreted the scriptures in the study series were. Since then, I have grown in amazing leaps and bounds. I consider the yoke of “Discipling” to have been a gift. As I willingly submitted myself to that understanding, the more I grew and matured as a person. But then I started to realize that the McKean paradigm was limiting my faith. I became terminally ill, and could no longer meet the standards placed on me according to what I had learned. I could no longer perform the required mandates necessary to “Grow Spiritually.” To me, I was utterly confused and frustrated. Then I started to realize that I was looking at my ability to perform acts, and not just to be a loving, giving, sacrificial person in the name of Christ. THEN, I realized that in the way of the study series, one could only achieve a certain level of maturity, according to ones “behavior.” Ludicrousy! Heresy! It was sheer unacceptable anti-biblical methodology. Then the scriptures started opening up to me (www.pfredy.blogspot.com/). However, that being said, I had learned invaluable understanding of other scriptures and true biblical concepts, especially sin confession and the Spirit inspiration of scripture during my time in the ICC. I can also remember the good times of late night prayer meetings, campus “blitzing” with bible in hand, meeting and dating my wife, making life long friends, and so on. There were some great times. I think for me to keep perspective, I must always remember how amazingly the Father worked in my life during my time in the ICC (Two years ago, my family had to move to an area where there is not ICC, so we now attend a Mainline COC. That being said, it had also become obvious that the leadership in the ICC I attended was not willing to react to the newly enlightened truth, so I was ready to relocate anyway.). In Galatians, as the Spirit, through Paul, is taking a stand on where the law should fit in our lives, in perspective of Christ, it is obvious that we can’t be justified by our obedience to the law (defining sin as it does). We can’t earn our way to God’s graciousness. Speaking only for myself, within the parameters of the McKean paradigm, it was obvious that ones works was a reflection of where one was at spiritually. There is some truth to this; the main problem was the understanding on what “Works” were. Regardless, even now, I struggle with the concept of “where I hang my hat is my home.” Within what fellowship do I want to support, and accept as being from God. To fellowship with a church, is to condone the doctrines and practices. By simple association, you are agreeing to the paradigm. So we are faced with a problem. Do I support the ICC, or the MCC, or the Christian Churches or wherever? It is tuff to say. We see the errors in our fellowship acceptance of what scripture dictates, and see the conflict within the bible, or negligence. I completely believe that the ICC and the MCC are both in error in either doctrine, or practice. For the past couple of years I have been tormented by this dilemma. Recently, I have changed my outlook and Biblical understanding. Earlier this year, I was stuck on focusing on the two Greatest commandments (Luke 10:25-37
). I became resolved that it would bring peace to my unresting soul. The more I dove into the understanding of love, the more I learned about mercy. Mercy is not a complicated concept, but yet, the foundation of Christianity. I believe that the entire New Testament is simply (or not so simply) an expansion of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5, 6
, and 7).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
-
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for their si the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
-Matthew 5:3-12
Prominent is it that the merciful will be shown mercy. Look also at Matthew 9:12-13
“On hearing this, Jesus saud, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, byut the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
And the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
) Recently I was corrected by Salguod concerning a post correction I made on my blog, and his correction rang deep and true. I was heart broken to see how quickly I was willing to be unmerciful. ICC, MCC, blah, blah. Mercy triumphs over judgment! We know that the Kingdom isn’t a place that we can point to (Luke 17:20-21
), or say here it is or there it is. It is within! We dare not contradict scripture and say that the ICC is THE kingdom of God, or which ever. This church or that. This practice or that. This paradigm or that. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
23″Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[b] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26″The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28″But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29″His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
30″But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32″Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35″This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
And there are many more scriptures about Mercy. It is blatantly God’s will. Mercy is farther reaching than what I could have ever imagined. I forced myself to search every little corner of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and examine it for mercy.
My conclusion of the matter is that “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13